The present invention relates to handrails for seating systems; and more particularly it relates to a handrail for use with a telescoping seating system wherein the rail members are quickly and easily installed for use or removed and placed on the deck of a row for storage.
A telescoping seating system is one in which a plurality of rows are movable individually between a closed or storage position in which all of the rows are in superimposed relation, and an extended use position in which the rows are in stepped relation. One such system is disclosed in co-owned U.S. Pat. No. 3,667,171, of McClelland and Raymond, issued June 6, 1972.
In efforts to enhance the safety of occupants of such seating systems during use, there have been many efforts to provide handrails for the systems.
Briefly, because of the need to accommodate the handrail when the rows are both in the extended and the retracted positions, early attempts to provide handrails for telescoping seating systems required removal of the handrails. Many of these early systems required so much labor for assembly and disassembly, or, in the case where the handrail was stored in a separate room, so much labor for transporting the rails, that they frequently were not used. One system designed to overcome the problem of transportation of the handrail from a different room is disclosed in co-owned U.S. Pat. No. 3,788,608, of Raymond, Lewis and Quigley, issued Jan. 29, 1974. In this system, upper and lower wooden guardrails were pivotally attached respectively to upper and lower support posts mounted to the decks of the system. For storage, a threaded fastener was unloosened for each post, the upper post removed from its mounting socket, and the rail was then folded vertically and then sideways onto a deck for storage. This system never achieved commercial acceptance.
A second type of handrail for telescoping seating systems, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,401,981, of Harold Wiese, issued Dec. 17, 1968, employed a series of interconnected telescoping tubes between upright posts, and the tubular sections of a handrail telescoped between open and closed positions with the seating rows. This system has achieved commercial acceptance, but it is somewhat expensive to manufacture.
There is a need for a handrail for telescoping seating systems which is economical, requires a minimum of hand labor for assembly, and permits the rails to be stored on the deck of a row. The present invention is directed to such a system.
Briefly, the present invention provides for a plurality of posts which are secured to the rows at a predetermined spacing. Preferably, these posts are inclined slightly forwardly. Upper and lower handrail members are mounted to the posts by a clamp assembly which includes a locking bolt rotatably received in a post and a clamp nut which defines a clamping surface conforming to the shape of the handrail member. The handrail members may themselves be formed of individual tubular elements which are coupled together by means of a swaged connection.
The clamp nut includes a pair of ears which straddle the post and prevent rotation of the clamp nut relative to the post. This maintains the nut in its upright position even when unlocked, and facilitates assembly of the rail members to the clamp nut. When the clamp assembly is in the unlocked position, the clamp nut is loose, and free to extend laterally relative to the post, to permit assembly or disassembly of the rail members. When the locking bolt is turned a quarter-turn, it forces the clamp nut to clamp the rail against the post to hold it securely to the post. The clamp assembly is tamper-proof in that occupants cannot unlock it without the use of tools.
Thus, by a simple quarter-turn of the locking bolt, each of the clamp assemblies can be unlocked, but they continue to support the handrail as the maintenance man moves from post to post. With all of the clamp assemblies unlocked, he may then remove the handrail, disassemble the swaged connection, and lay the sections on the deck for storage. All of the fastening hardware remains on the post even in the unlocked state. For assembly, these steps are followed in reverse order. The present invention thus provides an economical and safe handrail system for telescoping seating, yet one which requires a minimum of hand labor for assembly and disassembly.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to persons skilled in the art from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment accompanied by the attached drawing wherein identical reference numerals will refer to like parts in the various views.